The United Nations Population Fund has chosen "Men as Partners in Maternal Health" as the theme of World Population Day.

UNFPA Executive Director Thoraya Ahmed Obaid says, "Men are equal partners in making the new life that the women will deliver." She added, "Experience shows that male involvement can make a substantial difference when it comes to preserving the health and lives of women and children."

To promote their campaign, the UNFPA is supporting programs worldwide that foster partnership with men in battling maternal health problems and mortality, as well as programs that encourage men to take greater responsibility in the education and well-being of their daughters.

Find out more about the campaign here, and watch a video here.

An expert-group discussion hosted by United Nations International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (UN-INSTRAW) has concluded that the number of male trainers in gender training for security personnel must be increased.

With special attention given to UN peacekeepers, international gender experts representing academic institutions, non-governmental organizations, security forces and the UN have provided useful recommendations and practical tips on training delivery, for example on how to challenge gender stereotypes.

Carmen Moreno, UN-INSTRAW Director, said "Many of the security institutions - military, police, peacekeepers - are dominated by men...Knowing more about how differently men and women experience conflict helps security personnel respond better to gender-based violence and prevent sexual abuse."

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A new study by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) reports that pervasive sex discrimination is impeding African women's success in business.

The study, entitled "Lessons from Success Stories of African Women Entrepreneurs," called for initiatives beyond microcredit schemes while pointing out that women continue manage businesses which generate employment and tax revenue despite limited government support, negative social environments, institutional discrimination and lasting gender inequalities.

The study is based on the experiences of women entrepreneurs in Botswana, Burundi, Ethiopia, Malawi, Nigeria, South Africa and Uganda.

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Stara Thomas, a well-known Tanzanian singer, is joining forces with the United Nations to advocate for safe motherhood.

"In our country there is joy; in our country there is peace; in our country there is hope, but we still need to protect the women and the children, because their health is our future," said Stara, a mother of two who has written and performed an anthem about promoting safe motherhood and infant health called 'Play your Part,' which has become a hit, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) said in a news release.

"The song talks about how a pregnant woman's health is supposed to be taken care of by specialists in order to reduce the number of women and children dying during the delivery time," said the singer.

Tanzania's maternal mortality rate is 578 deaths per 100,000 live births; more than half of all pregnant women in the country deliver at home without a skilled birth attendant.

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The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has condemned a shooting outside a girls' school in Afghanistan which left two students dead and four people injured, including a teacher.

Catherine Mbengue, UNICEF Representative in Afghanistan, said "This is a heinous, cowardly act against students and a teacher whose only crime was to be in school...By attacking students and the teacher, the perpetrators are attacking children's right to education and threatening the very fabric of Afghan society."

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The senior United Nations envoy to Liberia says that the nation's women should not just be looked on as victims of war, but as post-conflict "vanguards of peace."

"Such inclusion can only be achieved through the strengthening of democratic institutions necessary to ensure peace, security, human rights and justice for all," Alan Doss, Special Representative of the Secretary-General Alan Doss and head of the UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL), said.

He also said that bringing together and supporting women's NGOs and groups will "guarantee that women’s voices are heard and heeded in all spheres of life."

For more information on women and peacekeeping, check out SC Resolution 1325 how it increases women's participation in the peace process.

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Our own Jessica Valenti will be on The Colbert Report tonight to discuss her new book, Full Frontal Feminism: A Young Woman's Guide to Why Feminism Matters. Tune in at 11:30 eastern standard time...and buy her book!

United Nations General Assembly President Sheikha Haya Rashed Al Khalifa says that for gender equality to become a reality in the Middle East, more women must take leadership positions in the public sphere.

"The Middle East is a vast, diverse region and the status of women varies significantly from one country to the other...Women in some parts of the region still face multi-layered discrimination that is deep-rooted in our legal framework, culture and educational system."

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United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour says that she is appalled by the level of sexual and gender-based violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Burundi.

"I have to say the level of sexual violence and its intensity is pretty surprising and appalling...Gender-based violence is not just an affront to dignity; it is a form of torture and absolute brutal physical and mental assault on the victims."

For more information on sexual violence against women, check out the work of Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.

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General Assembly President Sheikha Haya Rashed Al Khalifa says that female United Nations police and military serve as role models in the war-torn countries where they are deployed.

"Peacekeepers not only carry out their mandated tasks; they create a lasting legacy by exemplifying how military and police can engage in humanitarian work while interacting respectfully with civil society," General Assembly President Sheikha Haya Rashed Al Khalifa said in a message for the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers, observed tomorrow.

"A shining example of this is the first ever all-female contingent of United Nations Police sent from India to Liberia...These Blue Berets are not only helping to restore the rule of law, they are also serving as role models for Liberian women," she added.

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Speaking at a conference on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), President of the General Assembly Sheikha Haya Rashed Al Khalifa said that governments worldwide can help lift women and their families out of poverty by introducing more gender-sensitive policies that offer greater employment, taxation and investment opportunities for women.

[Sheikha Haya] called on governments to incorporate gender perspectives into their fiscal and monetary policies. Promoting gender equality and empowering women is one of the eight MDGs.

"Gender-sensitive policies assist women entrepreneurs in accessing markets and obtaining reasonable interest rates for loans, as well as promote decent employment opportunities, fair taxation, and investments in infrastructure," she said.

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Louise Arbour, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, has called for investigations into the widespread sexual violence in Darfur.

Arbour noted that based on the testimony they gathered for a new report, "it appears that rape during the December 2006 attacks was used as a weapon of war to cause humiliation and instill fear into the local population."

In [the] new report, the High Commissioner's Office describes attacks in December 2006 in eastern Jebel Marra, Darfur. At least 15 cases of sexual assault, including rape, had occurred, according to the report. At least two pregnant women were targeted in the violence.

"Soldiers came in cars heading towards the hills. Three were in green military uniform and the fourth was in civilian clothes. All four of them were armed and all of them raped me," said one 13-year old victim, according to the report.

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A new United Nations human rights report on Liberia says that violence against women persists in the country.

Covering the period between August and October 2006, the report pays particular attention to the fact that the Rape Amendment Act is not yet adequately implemented by the national authorities charged with the investigation, prosecution and trial of suspects, despite clear legislative provisions.

The report says that "the very small number of cases indicted and tried to date is an indicator that far more needs to be done to ensure that the various institutions of justice coordinate to address rape as a crime and as a human rights violation."

The report also notes that women and girls in some areas of Liberia remain at risk of female genital mutilation.

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A police workshop in Italy is the UN's latest effort to attract more women into the force. The 4-day conference at the UN Training Centre will bring together 30 gender experts from the UN and elsewhere to strategize on ways to encourage Member States to provide more female officers.

Progress has been made over the last two years in attracting more female officers into the UN Police, including the recent introduction into Liberia of an all-female specialized unit, but while the Peacekeeping Department's (DPKO) Police Adviser Mark Kroeker is full of praise for all his officers worldwide - both men and women, he says the current figure of just 6 per cent of the force made up of female officers is unacceptable.

The Peacekeeping Department's (DPKO) Police Adviser Mark Kroeker said, "I am extremely gratified by the increase in the numbers of women who serve in police components in UN missions. But this is way too few. Our attempts at getting our Members States to contribute police are difficult but the attempts in addition to add women to their contribution, this is almost impossible: we need to have women police officers so that we send the signal that women are co-equals in police work and that's the way it should be because they're available for every assignment as every man is in policing."

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Yesterday, on International Women's Day, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said that the UN must spearhead efforts to eradicate violence against women.

"Violence against women and girls makes its hideous imprint on every continent, country and culture...It is a threat to all women, and should be unacceptable to all humankind."

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In celebration of International Women's Day, The People Speak asked 16 prominent women, including Her Majesty Queen Rania, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, and UNICEF Executive Director Ann Veneman, about the women who have inspired them. The site also includes an interactive feature where you can write about an inspiring woman from your own life.

Today is International Women's Day! Observed since the early 1900s, March 8th is now an official holiday in many countries and the inspiration for thousands of events worldwide held to celebrate women and their accomplishments.

Today in Cambodia, for example, women are holding a photography exhibit to showcase women's contributions in rebuilding the country and in India women are using the day to hold a seminar on the law and domestic violence.

Unfortunately, not all governments are too happy about International Women's Day. As previously reported, over 30 women in Iran were arrested this week, which according to Amnesty International, was a deliberate move to deter women from organizing IWD events.

The United Nations, its agencies and regional offices are commemorating the day through various events, including a discussion today on eliminating violence against women in Afghanistan.

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After over 30 women's rights activists were arrested in Tehran, High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour expressed concern about their rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and expression. Arbour further urged authorities in Iran to adhere to the international agreements they are party to, specially the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

Iran is party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, the International Covenant on Economic, Civil and Cultural Rights, and the International Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Iran must adhere to the legal obligations undertaken under those treaties to respect all human rights without discrimination, Ms. Arbour was quoted as saying by a spokesperson at the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

Iran has not ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).

Amnesty International released a statement yesterday about the arrests, noting that they believed the arrests were intended to deter women from organizing events to mark International Women's Day on March 8.

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Picture from Krpasevananda at Flickr.

United Nations officials have called for increased efforts to end human trafficking, most notably in women and girls.

At the International Conference on Trafficking in Women and Girls, Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro said that "the fact that there are forms of slavery in our world today should fill us all with shame...As an African woman, I would add that it also fills me with rage."

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A Friday event called "Girls Speak Out" featured girls from around the world, including a former child soldier from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and an HIV-positive rape victim from Zambia, sharing their experiences of activism.

Moderated by CBS News anchor Katie Couric, the event was part of the 51st Commission on the Status of Women.

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Women's empowerment as a poverty eradication tool was discussed by top UN officials at the 51st session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW).

Despite several promising steps, including increased provision of microcredit and the accession of several States to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), "challenges remain," Rachel N. Mayanja, the Secretary-General's Special Adviser on Gender Issues and the Advancement of Women, said at a meeting yesterday.

"Continued discrimination against the girl child, violence against girls and women, and low representation of women in decision-making" still pose major problems, Ms. Mayanja said.

More

For more information on CSW, click here.

For more information on poverty eradication and women, check out the Women's Environment and Development Organization (WEDO).

A new study by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) shows that violence against women can be significantly affected by community-based interventions.

"Programming to Address Violence Against Women," reports on 10 case studies showing how targeted and planned interventions actually reduce gender-based violence.

UNFPA Executive Director Thoraya Ahmed Obaid said, "In many of these cases, the extent of violence against women was so prevalent and so entrenched that it first seemed impossible to budge the prevailing mindset…What we learned is that persistent advocacy targeting community leaders and the larger public can bring about huge changes in a relatively short time."

The UNFPA also released a companion booklet, "Ending Violence Against Women: Programming for Prevention, Protection and Care," and an online multimedia exhibit.

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Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's Special Representative, Alan Doss told the all-female peacekeeping unit in Liberia that "we know from police experience around the world that women officers are good at handling potentially violent situations."

"I am quite confident that with your help we can maintain a peaceful, stable and violence-free environment in Liberia," Mr. Doss told the unit made up 105 female officers with 20 male supporting staff - the first largely female Formed Police Unit to be deployed to a UN peacekeeping operation.

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Angela King, 68, died this week from of complications from breast cancer. King, a Jamaican diplomat, was a leading advocate for women in the United Nations and was the first special advisor to the Secretary-General on women's advancement.

In a statement, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon lauded King's life and accomplishments, noting that she was a "champion of the equality of women and men, and women's enjoyment of their human rights" and that "she will be mourned with profound affection and respect by many friends and allies around the world."

King enjoyed a 38-year career at the UN, with a focus on ending discrimination against women. In 1997, former SG Kofi Annan appointed her to a new post as a special advisor on gender issues to help ensure to implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action.

For more, go to the International Herald Tribune and the Jamaica Gleaner News.

A trial testing the effectiveness of microbicides in preventing HIV in women has been stopped, according to UN agencies. The trial was halted because of a higher number of infections among women taking the microbicide cellulose sulfate compared with those in the placebo group.

In a recently released statement, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) and Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) said, "This is a disappointing and unexpected setback in the search for a safe and effective microbicide that can be used by women to protect themselves against HIV infection."

The statement also noted that while there is no present explanation for the higher rate of HIV transmission, "the need to continue research to find a user-controlled means of preventing HIV infection in women is urgent." More

Jessica Ogden, a Senior HIV/AIDS Specialist at the International Center for Research on Women, says that while this cessation is a setback, "it is vital that the search for new HIV prevention options continue...Women need to have an option that is practical and practicable in the context of their everyday lives, and microbicide science holds out much hope in this regard."

For more information on women and HIV/AIDS, go to the International Center for Research on Women.

For more information on microbicides, check out the Global Campaign for Microbicides, the Alliance for Microbicide Development, and the Global Microbicides Project.

Anna Tibaijuka, Executive Director of UN-HABITAT, spoke yesterday at the World Social Forum in Nairobi about urbanization, sustainable housing, and how these issues affect women.

"This is a result of natural population growth, human mobility including rural-urban migration and international migration, as well as the reclassification of rural areas as urban areas. It is therefore important to consider the challenges of urbanization as you discuss women and poverty and listen to testimonies of women." More

Contributed by Gwendolyn Beetham, Gender Consultant, Department of Peacekeeping Operations

It's that time of the year...the 37th Session of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women is being held at UN Headquarters in New York. In this session, delegates from 15 of the 185 countries party to The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) get to talk about the "appropriate measures, including legislation and temporary special measures" that they have put in place in compliance with CEDAW, "so that women can enjoy all their human rights and fundamental freedoms." Experts get to ask questions. The country delegates respond. It's fun.

In this session, running from the 15th of January to the 2nd of February, countries reporting include: Austria, Azerbaijan, Columbia, Greece, India, Kazakhstan, Maldives, Namibia, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Peru, Poland, Suriname, Tajikistan, and Vietnam.

A run down of what's happened so far after the jump.

Kazakhstan reported that the adoption of 2006-2016 Strategy for Gender Equality, involving women's political and economic advancement, protection of women's reproductive health, combating violence against women and the achievement of gender equality in family relations, was "one of the most important developments in the country's democratic transformation." Persistent inequalities to be addressed included: employment discrimination, lack of women in political leadership positions, as well as the need to combat human trafficking. Experts cited delays in implementing these plans, as well as other laws and policies important to gender equality, including in the adoption of the law on domestic violence.

Poland stressed progress made in mainstreaming gender equality into national policies and enacting legislation to strengthen protection of women against domestic violence and workplace discrimination. Their report also described efforts to combat human trafficking, a growing problem in the country, along with improvements to women's health care. However, Poland, in response to experts' concerns, acknowledged that abortion was only legal for women in cases of rape and when the pregnant woman's health was in danger, and although "all women had the right to reproductive services...under the conscience clause, doctors could refuse to perform an abortion."

Viet Nam reported on their recently passed Law on Gender Equality, which will take effect in July 2007, and defines key aspects of gender equality, including promotion measures and governmental responsibility. Other issues addressed included: women's land rights, funding for girls education, human trafficking, and women's economic rights. In response to the latter, the delegation cited the fact that it was recently named a leading country in terms of the ratio of women's participation in economic activities, according to a joint study by the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the United Kingdom's Department for International Development and Canada's International Development Agency.

Namibia reported on various measures taken to address violence against women, HIV/AIDS, women's land rights, discrimination in the family, women's participation in the formal work force and in the political arena. Regarding the latter, Namibia reported gains for women in the 2004 elections including: an increase in the number of women in Parliament from 20 to 27 per cent and, for the first time, the appointment of women to the positions of: Deputy Prime Minister, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, Minister of Justice and Attorney General, and Minister of Finance. Delegates acknowledged that although "Namibia had made significant progress since its last periodic review...challenges to achieve full gender equality still existed."

India reported on its commitment to encourage changes in legislation and in personal laws, such as those related to marriage, divorce, maintenance and guardianship, sex roles and stereotyping, and customary practices, including dowry, sati, devadasi, child marriage, and selective sex abortion. The report also acknowledged the multiple forms of discrimination against Indian women based on caste, religion and disability. Experts testified that India had not done enough to tackle these issues, arguing that it should remove its reservations to CEDAW (on grounds of on stereotypes, family life and marriage) and do more "to initiate measures rather than wait for male-led communities to overcome deeply entrenched attitudes." Experts also criticized the report's lack of attention to the extensive violence against women which took place during the Gujarat riots in 2002, including the Governments' response after the riots, when, according to a separate report before the Committee and a report from the Special Rapporteur on violence against women "a culture of impunity was created where sexual violence was allowed to continue and that women victims of violence were denied access to justice."

Nicaragua reported on plans to make the country's main women's rights body an autonomous institute. The Nicaraguan Institute for Women (INIM), formerly supervised directly by the President, was instrumental in mainstreaming gender equality principles and strategies into agriculture, socio-economic development, higher education, and sexual and domestic violence prevention. Delegate noted, however, that "discriminatory practices still existed which thwarted Nicaragua's ability to carry out its gender equity objectives, and that it had been difficult to change societal attitudes about the importance of women's rights and participation as full partners in and beneficiaries of Nicaragua's socio-economic development." Delegates also responded to experts' concerns about Nicaragua's ban on abortion by stating that "the issue had created controversy last year in the National Assembly and was subsequently dropped from the legislation."

Ongoing coverage and full country reports are available at the Division for the Advancement of Women.

BBC: "Discrimination against women is holding back economic and social development across the Arab World, a report by the UN's development agency says.

Arab women must be given greater access to education, employment, health care and public life, the report says.

The Arab Human Development Report is an annual overview compiled by Arab academics and experts in the field.

Islam is not to blame for the problem, the report says, but rather political inflexibility, male domination and war."

"Women are facing increasing violence in Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia, especially when they speak out publicly to defend women's rights, a senior U.N. official told the U.N. Security Council. Noeleen Heyzer, executive director of the U.N. Development Fund for Women, called on for fresh efforts to ensure the safety of women in countries emerging from conflicts, to provide them with jobs, and ensure that they receive justice, including compensation for rape." More

"Highlighting the role played by women in promoting peace in countries emerging from conflict, the United Nations Security Council today stressed it was essential to promote the full participation of women in helping rebuild such societies and also encouraged more female involvement in UN peacekeeping operations." More

"A cheap and widely available malaria drug is an effective treatment for pregnant women, scientists said on Friday.... Malaria, a parasitic disease transmitted by mosquitoes, kills more than a million people a year, mostly young children in Africa.

Chloroquine had been the standard treatment against the disease. But the malaria parasite has become increasingly resistant to chloroquine and SP.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has urged African nations to switch to artemisinin-based combination drugs known as ACTs but doctors have been concerned about the effects of the treatment on the developing foetus." More

NYT: "Violence against women by their live-in spouses or partners is a widespread phenomenon, both in the developed and developing world, as well as in rural and urban areas, the most comprehensive and scientific international study on the topic has confirmed. In interviews with nearly 25,000 women at 15 sites in 10 countries, researchers from the World Health Organization found that rates of partner violence ranged from a low of 15 percent in Yokohama, Japan, to a high of 71 percent in rural Ethiopia."

IHT: "Nearly 60 percent of women in Ethiopia are subject to sexual violence by a partner. Domestic violence and rape account for 19 percent of disease in women in developed countries. And in Colombia, a woman is killed by an intimate partner every six days, a study from the United Nations said Tuesday.... Violence against women persists at high rates around the world, and governments are not doing enough to prevent it, according to the report from U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan."

Alertnet: "As in many villages in West Africa, education is still a distant dream for many girls. The United Nations children's agency (UNICEF) says that in Senegal about 40 percent of girls 7-12 years old lack access to basic education, and those who do enroll are likely to drop out. Sixty percent of Senegalese girls are illiterate. Senegal's Ministry of Education reported that 80.6 percent of girls began school during the 2004-2005 school year, yet only eight percent finished high school."

"More than half of all children who do not go to school are girls. Achieving universal primary education is a Millennium Development Goal and one of UNICEF's primary objectives.

At a panel discussion organized by the US Mission to the United Nations in New York, UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman gave a keynote address on the vital importance of educating girls in the developing world." More

"Two gunmen on a motorbike killed the provincial director of Afghanistan's Ministry of Women's Affairs outside her home Monday in apparent retribution for her efforts to help educate women, officials said.

Safia Ahmed-jan was slain outside the front gate of her home in this southern Afghan city as she was walking to her office, said Tawfiq ul-Ulhakim Parant, senior adviser to the women's ministry in Kabul.

Aleem Sidique, spokesman for the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, said the U.N. was "appalled at this senseless murder."

"What we need to see in Afghanistan is peace, development and progress," Sidique said. "We share the sentiment of the majority of Afghan people who are appalled at this killing." More

"A few weeks ago I attended a film fest with my oldest daughter Tonya Sargent. One of the films we watched was a documentary called "Love, Labor, Loss" that told the story of women with fistulas, or holes, caused by obstructed labour.... Fistulas mainly affect women who live in poverty in the developing world and can't obtain quality health care, mostly in Africa, Asia and some Arab states. As a result of this condition, they are often shunned and ostracized by society. According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), obstetric fistula affects an estimated 50,000 to 100,000 women around the world every year." [More]

"One United Nations estimate says from 113 million to 200 million women around the world are demographically "missing." Every year, from 1.5 million to 3 million women and girls lose their lives as a result of gender-based violence or neglect.

In countries where the birth of a boy is considered a gift and the birth of a girl a curse from the gods, selective abortion and infanticide eliminate female babies.

Young girls die disproportionately from neglect because food and medical attention is given first to brothers, fathers, husbands and sons." [Read more]

"Gender-based violence is one of the most pervasive of human rights abuses. It covers a range of injustices - from gender abuse to systematic rape and from pre-birth sex selection to female genital mutilation - that affect as many as one in three women. Ending gender violence will take action on many fronts every day of the year. But 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence is a start..." [Read more]

"Obstetric Fistula is a childbearing injury, caused by long, obstructed labors without recourse to Caesarean sections. The consequences, left untreated, can be devastating, usually including both the death of the child and the incontinence of the mother. And women in the developing world, particularly Africa, rarely get the treatment they need.... Here, then, is a classic opportunity for worldchanging action: an entrenched problem, which could be largely addressed by more funding for medical care and education, largely ignored by big international NGOs and development agencies. In short, this is a place where a small group of people could make a big impact."

One By One is just such a group. [Read more]

New York Times: "Dr. Kees Waaldijk began surgery shortly before 10 a.m. one recent Saturday in a cement-walled operating room in this city near Nigeria's northern border. More than five hours later, orderlies carried the last of four girls to the recovery ward. In the near-90 degree heat, Dr. Waaldijk's light blue surgical garb had turned dark with sweat.

What brings the girls to Dr. Waaldijk - and him to Nigeria - is the obstetric nightmare of fistulas, unknown in the West for nearly a century. Mostly teenagers who tried to deliver their first child at home, the girls failed at labor. Their babies were lodged in their narrow birth canals, and the resulting pressure cut off blood to vital tissues and ripped holes in their bowels or urethras, or both.

Were it widely available, the United Nations agency states, a $300 operation could repair most fistulas. But Mozambique, with 17 million people, has just three surgeons who consistently perform those operations. Niger, population 11 million, has but six, the organization reported in 2002."
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

To support UNFPA's campaign to End Fistula, visit One By One Project. One By One is a volunteer-led initiative that enables people to make a difference by creating giving circles to raise enough money to cover the cost of fistula surgery, post-operative care and rehabilitation for one woman.

To learn more ways to get involved, visit The Woman Tour

"The teenager with flowers in her hair crossed her hands to keep them from trembling and described how she was raped by 10 militiamen.

Abducted two years ago when she was 16, Ombeni was kept as a concubine in the forests of eastern Congo. She became pregnant and at nearly nine months gestation, her captors cut her vagina with a machete, leaving the baby dead and abandoning the teenager in the forest.

"I laid there for one week," Ombeni said. "Until insects came out of my body." Ombeni was eventually rescued by a woman who was foraging for food and made her way to a clinic for rape victims.

She is one of thousands of women who are brutally raped each year in Congo, another layer of degradation in a war that never seems to end. In a briefing before the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday, UN humanitarian chief Jan Egeland said rape as a weapon of war was at its worst in eastern Congo and the Darfur region of Sudan." [Read more]

"MADRID, Spain, (UNHCR) - In a precedent-setting decision, the Spanish Inter-ministerial Asylum Commission has given refuge to a 38-year-old woman, who could not find protection from decades of suffering at the hands of her husband whom she had been forced to marry.

The continuous abuse and severe beatings inflicted upon the woman by her husband in this case violated a number of her fundamental human rights. These include the right not to be subjected to torture, inhuman or degrading treatment and the right to life, liberty and security of person. The harm she suffered as a result of these human rights violations was found to be a direct result of her gender and her status as a married woman and was thus seen to constitute gender-specific persecution. In the EU context, the Qualification Directive also recognizes that acts of a gender-specific nature can constitute persecution.

Although gender-related persecution, in general, has increasingly been recognized in a growing number of states as falling within the scope of the 1951 Convention's refugee definition, the fact that persecution in the form of domestic violence perpetrated by family members can, in certain situations, fall within the refugee definition is less widely accepted. This decision is therefore a welcome one.

Under Spanish law, UNHCR participates in the Eligibility Commission in an observer capacity and does not vote, but can give its opinion on any asylum application filed in Spain. UNHCR has consistently advocated that gender-related persecution can constitute persecution for one of the five reasons set out in the 1951 Convention and therefore that claimants with a well-founded fear of such treatment should be recognized as refugees." [Read more]

"Enhancing the role of female MPs in Bahrain, the UAE, Oman and Kuwait will be the focus of a seminar in Abu Dhabi on Monday. It is taking place at the General Women's Union as part of a regional project to empower women.

The project is being spearheaded by the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) and also aims to establish an Arab women parliamentarians' forum, bring gender issues onto the agendas of Arab parliaments and sow the seeds of equal participation at the national level." LINK

From Reuters AlertNet: "Education, leadership crucial for refugee girls and women, says UNHCR on International Women's Day - The UN refugee agency is marking International Women's Day today with activities involving refugee women worldwide, with a special focus on refugee girls and women in education and leadership.... Meanwhile, a plethora of activities are taking place around the world to mark International Women's Day, ranging from skills training competitions to women's health workshops, seminars on girls' education, discussions on the role of women returnees, and even attempts by men to ease women's burden."

The Washington Post reports: "The Bush administration abandoned an antiabortion initiative on Friday in the face of overwhelming opposition at a U.N. conference on women's rights.

The move came at a critical stage in the two-week meeting of 130 countries and 6,000 representatives of women's rights groups, who gathered to assess women's progress in the decade after a 1995 summit on women in Beijing. It paved the way for the unanimous adoption of a declaration reaffirming support for a 150-page platform of action for achieving women's equality that was adopted in Beijing. "

"Ten years after the landmark United Nations women's conference in Beijing, hundreds of delegates and thousands of non-governmental organization (NGOs) representatives will meet at the United Nations for nearly two weeks to review the world's progress towards equality for women." Read More...

From UN Wire: "As American officials seek to quell fears of an Iranian-like theocracy coming into power in Iraq with guarantees that Iraq's leaders will embrace only moderate policies, Swanee Hunt and Isobel Coleman write in the International Herald Tribune that without real rights afforded to women, any claims of moderation are simply "an illusion."